Monday, May 05, 2003

Strange thoughts at 4 am.

I had a very ... unusual experience this morning. I think it might be a perfect example of my obsessive desire to be surrounded by beauty.At three o'clock this morning, I found myself conducting internet searches for barware, stemware, and dishes. This was a rather eclectic search - I managed to visit Royal Doulton, Waterford Crystal, Ikea, Crate and Barrel, and other assorted manufacturers and discounters of dining needs. This flurry of interest was brought on by a friend's boasting of his his beautiful new bar, replete with lovely Crate and Barrel glasses. I found myself wishing for a nice set of glasses myself - or at least a matching dining set. It has to be better than our current hodgepodge of chipped green plates, cheap blue plastic plates, and two Crate and Barrel stoneware place settings.

So, I found several interestings things.

I want this to be my first "real set" of casual glasses. It's Marquis by Waterford Vintage Collection. I like the simplicity of the pattern, the relatively low price, and the wide selection of different types of glasses.

For my fine crystal, I like Waterford's Elberon pattern or Waterford's Lucerne pattern. Both are relatively simple, with unusual cuts. Unfortunately, it will take quite a while before I will be able to afford something like this... I suppose I have two options: Marry someone who won't mind registering for lots of crystal or become quite wealthy myself and just buy it.

I haven't quite made up my mind in terms of dishware. My favorite "young" collection is Royal Doulton's "Touch." I like it so much, I decided to go to ebay and see if I could find any fabulous deals on it. I found one auction... with a place setting for $30?! This was a fabulous price - only one problem. It was four o'clock in the morning, and the auction was ending in an hour. I IMed all of my online friends, trying to see if they could help me decide if I wanted to buy it... no one responded. Finally, I just called my parents. 4:15 is really 6:15 in Houston - they're up and about to go to work. Finally, I decided I can't afford it, so I sadly let the auction end.

Goodbye beautiful china. ::sniff::


Anyway, the moral of this story? My friends should start saving their money NOW for my bridal registry.